Quick as a flash, I was out of my seat and pulling on my boots, rummaging in my coat pockets, trying to find my car keys.
“Hey, hold up, mate,” said Tom, placing himself in front of me. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To find Annie.”
“Not right away, you’re not. Maybe sit down and take a breather for a minute, yeah?”
“I don’t want a breather. I need to see her,” I said and tried to push past him. Unfortunately for me, Tom was a tall fucker, and my head was all over the shop.
“This woman means the world to you—I can see that—but I’m sure she’s feeling pretty delicate right now. Such a big confession will do that to a person. Maybe wait ’til you’ve both had time to process. Otherwise, you might fuck things up worse than before.”
I lost some of my steam as his words took root, my brows furrowing in frustration. I had fucked things up with Annie the last few times I’d seen her. I’d pushed her. Then I pushed her away. And fuck if she didn’t just push me back.
“And anyway, you need to shower before you go anywhere,” he said and steered me in the direction of the bathroom.
Before I knew it, I was standing under the spray, drowning my need to see her in hot water and soap. What Annie had written was running through my head in a loop. I already knew that she loved me; the struggle was in getting her to admit it, both to me and to herself, and now she’d just told the whole world. I couldn’t believe how much everything had changed in such a short amount of time. I was still wondering if this was a dream. Yesterday I was comatose, heartbroken and depressed beyond measure. Now I couldn’t stop grinning as I punched my fist into the air in victory.
Yeah, that’s right, I just victory-punched, butt-naked in the shower.
I just loved her so much I felt I was going to burst with it.
I’d been wrong. She was so fucking brave. I was going to kiss her all night once I got my hands on her just to show her how proud I was. Shit, I’d buy her a thousand roses and a shop full of éclairs in appreciation of her bravery. I knew it had taken everything for her to do what she’d done.
Screw Tom. I was going to find her right now.
Five minutes later, I was dressed and out the door, Tom calling after me to wait. He might have been taller than I was; but I was faster and sneakier, and I managed to make it to the elevator before he could catch up. Before I knew it, I was burning rubber on the road to Annie’s. I found myself with one hand on the steering wheel, the other at my mouth as I chewed half my fingernails off with nerves.
The last time we’d spoken, emotions had been running high for both of us. I’d said things I shouldn’t have said. I just hoped that what she’d written meant she’d forgiven me and it wasn’t just some way of coming clean to the world about who she really was.
No, that definitely wasn’t it. If it were, then she wouldn’t have included all the stuff about loving me.
When I got there, I had to park across the road from her apartment building because there were vans and cars blocking half the street. Curious. I got out and strode across, only to see the paparazzi crowded around the door to the lobby when I got closer.
Fuck.
I was about to turn around and get back in my car because if I approached them I’d be swamped in seconds; but then I heard her, and my heart exploded.
“Please, let me by. You’re crushing me,” Annie demanded, and my feet were moving again, my hands balling into fists. Those fuckers had clearly caught her leaving the building and had pounced like a pack of ravenous wolves.
“Socialmedialite, tell us why you came clean?”
“Annie, have you spoken to Ronan yet?”
“Did you write the post to win him back?”
They all threw questions at her, one after the other in a never-ending stream, cameras flashing rapidly, the lights blinding. She must have been terrified, though she was hiding it well; she’d lifted her chin in defiance. There were at least thirty of the fuckers, all surrounding her. When I reached them, I began pulling them back one by one. It only took a moment for them to recognize who I was because seconds later the cameras were flashing at me and questions were being thrown in my direction.
They cleared back a little when they saw the murderous look on my face, and when I finally got to Annie, I found her against the wall, clutching her handbag, her eyes wide as she tried to hide her fear. They’d cornered her away from the door so she couldn’t get back in after she’d left. The moment her eyes connected with mine, I saw a myriad of emotions flash across her face, the most powerful of which was relief.
“Ronan,” she breathed as I took her into my arms, shielding her from the horde. I ran my hands down her face to her neck and then along her body, an all-consuming instinct to check if she’d been hurt.
“Are you all right?” I asked, my voice coming out in a growl since I was so pissed. One guy was hovering over my shoulder to try to get a shot, and I felt like hitting him, making an example to the rest of them to back the fuck up.
Annie brought her hands to my chest, and I looked down to see they were shaking, her eyes wide and flickering between mine as if to ask, What have I done?
She seemed a little bit out of it, so I repeated my question. “Annie, answer me. Are you all right?”
Swallowing hard, she finally found her voice. “I’m okay, just a little…surprised. I didn’t expect them to find me so quickly.” She sounded stronger than I expected, and it made me proud.
“Fucking parasites. Come with me. Just stay close, okay?” I said, ducking down to meet her eyes.
She nodded, the fear she’d been holding at bay starting to bleed through. “Okay.”
Taking her hands, I pulled them around me so she was holding onto my waist. Then I placed her firmly under my arm and began leading her through the crowd.
“Back the fuck up,” I warned any pap who dared get too close. They all did as I instructed.
A couple of minutes later, we were at my car, questions still being thrown at us about our relationship, about Annie being The Socialmedialite, about whether or not I knew all along. I reached across her and opened the door, using my body as a shield to keep them at bay as she climbed in. Once I had her secured, it was easier for me to get around to the driver’s side, probably because I had no qualms about pushing and shoving people out of the way.
At one point, a short guy grabbed me aggressively by the shoulder, and I swung around, temper flaring as I gripped his collar with one hand and clenched the other into a fist, ready to punch. When I saw the look of sheer terror on his face, all my anger drained out of me. He was just a person trying to do a job. Yeah, he was a parasite, and he was going about it all the wrong way; but he didn’t deserve a beating. None of these people did. I had zero respect for how they chose to make a living, but I wasn’t going to waste a single ounce of anger on them anymore. It wasn’t worth it.
I was sure there’d be some stories circulating the next day about how I’d manhandled a photographer, but I didn’t care. My goal right now was to get Annie away from here and somewhere safe. They could crucify me all they wanted.
Their shouts were muted only when I climbed in the driver’s side and slammed the door shut. Annie had her phone in her hands, scrolling through her messages. It looked like she was doing it as a means of calming her nerves rather than because she actually needed to check them.
“Joan called and asked me to c-come into the office,” she said, her voice breaking up a little. “I didn’t realize they were all outside until I’d already left, and then they blocked the door so I couldn’t get back in.” The final part was whispered, and something inside me snapped.
“Fuck,” I swore and pulled her into my arms, kissing the top of her head. “That shouldn’t have happened.”